Thursday, 18 May 2017

Boyne Berries 22 will be a special issue commemorating the centenary of the death of the County Meath WWI poet Francis Ledwidge. Francis Edward Ledwidge (19 August 1887 – 31 July 1917) was sometimes known as the "poet of the blackbirds", he was killed in action at the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I. Much of Ledwidge's work was published in newspapers and journals in Ireland and the UK. The only work published in book form during Ledwidge's lifetime was the original Songs of the Fields (1915), which was very well received.

A blackbird singing On a moss-upholstered stone, Bluebells swinging, Shadows wildly blown, A song in the wood, A ship on the sea. The song was for you and the ship was for me.

- To One Dead

Submissions that cover subjects such as The Great War, Nature, The Trade Union Movement, Lord Dunsany and people and places in Meath are welcome. These themes are open to broad interpretation and all work related will be considered. Poetry, factual pieces, opinion pieces, memoir and fiction are all welcome and encouraged. On this occasion Photographs and art work will also be considered.

Send up to 3 poems per poetry submission. Poems should be no more than 40 lines long. Fiction and prose submissions should be no more than 1500 words. Please use Times New Roman 12 and single spacing. Please include a short biographical note. Submissions should be placed in the body of the email and attached as a word document attachment. Submit to orla.a.fay@gmail.com only.

The submission period is now open and will close on Friday, 30th June.

Submissions which fail to adhere to the above criteria will be ignored.

The magazine will be published in late September 2017.

Boyne Writers Group and Boyne Berries Magazine acknowledges the generous assistance of the Meath County Council Francis Ledwidge Commemorative Grant Scheme.